Librarians are generally a deliberate lot. We keep calm and gather information.
But many of us are genuinely alarmed about recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Back on March 20, DOGE and Department of Homeland Security officials showed up unannounced at the headquarters of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). They appointed a new Acting Director in the lobby — Keith Sonderling, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Labor. By March 31 all the employees were placed on 90-day administrative leave, with no access to their government email.
What is IMLS?
IMLS was established in 1996 by a Republican-led Congress. Its mission is to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” It was actually the merger of two previous government agencies, including the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the Institute of Museum Services. The IMLS distributes thousands of grants nationwide, totaling in recent years to more than $200 million annually.
“I am committed to steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and foster innovation,” Sonderling said in a statement after his appointment. “We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.”
On the one hand, IMLS accounts for about .004% of the federal budget. It employs around 70 people. As savings go, the shuttering of the IMLS wouldn’t move the budgetary needle much. However, it has been an essential link in the funding of the nation’s state libraries. In Colorado, federal funding adds up to about $3.2 million each year.
Where does the money go?
Within days after the seizure of IMLS, the new leadership declared that funding for several state libraries (not including Colorado) was now eliminated.
The key targets of federal initiatives like DOGE are not waste, fraud, or inefficiency. The defunding of state libraries, and along the way lawsuits against newspapers, withheld funds from private universities, and the winking out of public health information on government websites, all have a common end. The target is knowledge and the institutions that provide access to it. That knowledge, much of it created by government, doesn’t belong to any one administration. It belongs to all of us.
Recently, a number of states have banded together to challenge in federal court the legality of the IMLS takeover and denial of funding. Colorado has joined the suit.
After the Constitutional Convention of 1787 Benjamin Franklin was asked just what kind of government had been established.
“A republic,” he replied. “If you can keep it.”
[Note: this column appeared in the April 30, 2025 of the Post Independent.]
But many of us are genuinely alarmed about recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Back on March 20, DOGE and Department of Homeland Security officials showed up unannounced at the headquarters of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). They appointed a new Acting Director in the lobby — Keith Sonderling, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Labor. By March 31 all the employees were placed on 90-day administrative leave, with no access to their government email.
What is IMLS?
IMLS was established in 1996 by a Republican-led Congress. Its mission is to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” It was actually the merger of two previous government agencies, including the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the Institute of Museum Services. The IMLS distributes thousands of grants nationwide, totaling in recent years to more than $200 million annually.
“I am committed to steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and foster innovation,” Sonderling said in a statement after his appointment. “We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism and cultivate love of country in future generations.”
On the one hand, IMLS accounts for about .004% of the federal budget. It employs around 70 people. As savings go, the shuttering of the IMLS wouldn’t move the budgetary needle much. However, it has been an essential link in the funding of the nation’s state libraries. In Colorado, federal funding adds up to about $3.2 million each year.
Where does the money go?
- The Colorado State Library provides almost $450,000 to support state interlibrary loans, online access to historic Colorado newspapers, in-person and online access to state government documents, and a program allowing any Colorado resident to get a free library card at any Colorado library.
- The Colorado State Library provides over $600,000 of continuing education for public, school, academic, and institutional libraries. That includes consultant support for historic collections in libraries, museums, and archives.
- Almost $640,000 goes to the Colorado Talking Book Library, which provides resources for Coloradans who are blind, print disabled, and students with learning differences.
- Over $1,500,000 goes to leadership and staff support: resources for library board members, standards for public libraries, Highly Effective Schools through Libraries, rural and small library support, library website creation and hosting, and loads of research and data collection.
- Altogether, IMLS funding underwrites about two thirds of our state library staff.
Within days after the seizure of IMLS, the new leadership declared that funding for several state libraries (not including Colorado) was now eliminated.
The key targets of federal initiatives like DOGE are not waste, fraud, or inefficiency. The defunding of state libraries, and along the way lawsuits against newspapers, withheld funds from private universities, and the winking out of public health information on government websites, all have a common end. The target is knowledge and the institutions that provide access to it. That knowledge, much of it created by government, doesn’t belong to any one administration. It belongs to all of us.
Recently, a number of states have banded together to challenge in federal court the legality of the IMLS takeover and denial of funding. Colorado has joined the suit.
After the Constitutional Convention of 1787 Benjamin Franklin was asked just what kind of government had been established.
“A republic,” he replied. “If you can keep it.”
[Note: this column appeared in the April 30, 2025 of the Post Independent.]
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